What type of smoker?

[bigspenda864]

This is more of an equipment question but I thought I could ask here in the General Discussion section. I use a gas grill for quick meals, etc. but I am just getting started into smoking. I used an El Cheapo Brinkmann (charcoal) for my first smoke and have already decided to get a new unit. I was only thinking about getting a charcoal smoker because I assumed the flavor would be better than gas. After reading some on here, I see many people use many different types of smokers (more types than I even knew existed). What is the best type for flavor, etc? I guess it's easier to maintain a constant temp with gas but I don't mind fiddling with the thing while its cooking. I hope I am not opening a big can of worms by asking but thoughts???

 

[brdprey]

mmmm the new guy wants to know what is better.

i myself have a few stick burners and use hardwood to smoke with (royal oak) i like the flavors but the trade off is constant monitoring during windy or cool days. some cons: you can dry meat out if your not paying atention so building a water pocket is a must for me and the uneven heat is enough to drive ya nuts but fixes can remedy that. , and for the emergency or rainy days i have a mes (electric smoker) that is out in the shed protected  pro: set it forget it    con: have to add chips every 15 to 30 mins to get good smokeyness and your at the mercy of electricity.

i personally have not had the oportunity to use a pellet or gas. but your about to get a ton of dif answers so this should be good. alot of personal preference's , some money constraints, some are the know it alls and have all of them. so let the rodeo begin.

 

[s2k9k]

I think this one's been beat up pretty good so here's some reading for you:

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/search.php?search=what+type+of+smoker

I don't have much to compare because all I've used is my GOSM propane and I really like it. It took some getting used to and after some simple mods it works great for me. It maintains pretty consistent temps and produces great flavor which I think mostly comes from rubs, spices, smoke and the meat itself!

 

[diesel]

I had the el cheapo Brinkmann at one point and it was a bear to work with sometimes.  But,  with a little love that thing would produce some good Q.  The only problem I had with it was that it wasn't big enough for my habit/hobby.

I would start by making a list of requirements for myself.  You said you didn't mind charcoal, so you could check out some of those units like the WSM.  What about your area?  How much meat do you see yourself cooking at one time?  Can you use wood? 

Just some things to start with.  I hope I have helped a little.

 

[jrod62]

Yes this will open a can of worms .:biggrin:
My vote goes to .................. UDS.
easy to build, real easy to control the temp, and get 20+ hours out of a full basket of charcoal.

 

[bigspenda864]

Thanks for the quick responses. I figured this has been hashed out somewhere on here but didn't see a thread. I am really trying to figure out if I should go with gas, wood, charcoal, etc. not so much the actual model. 

 

[dewetha]

I have a gas and will be trying out a charcoal. my main concern is cost. I get a few rib smokes and then i never know if whats left in the tank will make it. So i waste some gas and money. I do try and track it but outside teps and how many times i open the door vary how much i use. Going to see if the cleanup hassles are a better trade off then have to maintain extra tanks

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[brdprey]

ah there in lays your answer my good man. get one of each!

 

[s2k9k]

I have a gas and will be trying out a charcoal. my main concern is cost. I get a few rib smokes and then i never know if whats left in the tank will make it. So i waste some gas and money. I do try and track it but outside teps and how many times i open the door vary how much i use. Going to see if the cleanup hassles are a better trade off then have to maintain extra tanks
Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk 2

I tracked my 4.7 gallon tank recently and after I passed 42 hours I quit keeping track and just went and filled it. I have a hardware store close by that fills them so I never waste any. I really don't like the exchanges because you don't know how much is in the tank your paying for, I doubt that they're full.

 

[spoolinaz]

Even better yet on gas, hook it into your home gas supply and never have to refill a tank! And after all of my research, you dont even really need to change out orifices with such a small burner. Just remove the regulator. Unless you want 400 degree plus fire. I've gotten mine to go off the scale on an ET-732 (550+), but you don't need that to smoke. Want long hassle free smoke times? add a AMNPS. Otherwise, add chunks every hour or so. The best thing about gas is no real ash to deal with, just leftover wood chunks!

 

[katman]

Not sure which Brinkman you have.  The offset is a tough cooker to work with but the water smoker can produce some good results without too much work.  I've got a couple of gasers in my collection.  My weber summit has a smoker box and dedicated burner but the results are less than impressive.  I'm going to get one of those add-on smoke generators to see if I can up the flavor but the other thing I don't like about propane is it is a moist heat.  I have my gasers hooked up to main gas lines so they are convenient but I like a good bark on butts.  The propane seems to give out too much moister to get the crust I want.  I like the results I get from my green egg using lump. I just picked up a large weber water smoker and plan to do a butt, some ribs and salmon using regular kingsford.  Can't tell you yet how that is.  I can say you can use a weber kettle and get pretty good results cooking indirect and also by using a rotisserie attachment.  On almost any of these cookers you can get a control to help mind the fire.  I use various BBQ Guru products and am quite pleased with the performance.  Let's sleep at night while food is in the smoker.

 

[bigspenda864]

Not sure which Brinkman you have.  The offset is a tough cooker to work with but the water smoker can produce some good results without too much work.  I've got a couple of gasers in my collection.  My weber summit has a smoker box and dedicated burner but the results are less than impressive.  I'm going to get one of those add-on smoke generators to see if I can up the flavor but the other thing I don't like about propane is it is a moist heat.  I have my gasers hooked up to main gas lines so they are convenient but I like a good bark on butts.  The propane seems to give out too much moister to get the crust I want.  I like the results I get from my green egg using lump. I just picked up a large weber water smoker and plan to do a butt, some ribs and salmon using regular kingsford.  Can't tell you yet how that is.  I can say you can use a weber kettle and get pretty good results cooking indirect and also by using a rotisserie attachment.  On almost any of these cookers you can get a control to help mind the fire.  I use various BBQ Guru products and am quite pleased with the performance.  Let's sleep at night while food is in the smoker.

Is there a reason why you wouldn't use your Green Egg for everything? From what I understand, it seems like a good all around grill and smoker.

 

[katman]

The green egg is a great cooker for both grilling and smoking.  I have three, including one about 30 years old made out of clay that is fantastic for low and slow cooks.  Does the best turkeys I've ever had.  My typical workday runs about 14 hours so sometimes when I get home I just want to fire the gaser up and throw on a burger or steak or a few pieces of chicken, heat up an iron skillet and sear some scallops or toast some vegetables.  I usually use the weber kettle with lump for rotisserie chicken--gives it just the right amount of smoke and char for the peruvian style I like.  Pork butts or shoulders and other things I want to slow smoke go on the eggs.  I'll also use them for grilling, usually on weekends, when I have the time to get a fire going for more or less continuous use over the weekend. They also are great for baking and pizza. I picked up the weber water smoker for hot smoking fish but I also will use it for butts and brisket. Biggest change I expect to see with the water smoker will be a result of using briquettes and smoking wood instead of lump and wood.  It's going to live down at the ocean where i do most of my fishing.  If I could only have one cooker, it would probably be the egg, but I am looking real hard at pellet grills and ovens.   Haven't tried them yet and they seem like a good option for putting on a large feed.